


One Last Night

by repossessme



Category: Star Trek: The Next Generation
Genre: Angst, Bittersweet Ending, Daddy Issues, M/M, Older Man/Younger Man, Romance, Sappy, Slash, Teen Angst, Tragic Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-15
Updated: 2014-03-15
Packaged: 2018-01-15 20:05:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,389
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1317583
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/repossessme/pseuds/repossessme
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A sappy, angst-filled, ill fated romance.</p>
            </blockquote>





	One Last Night

"This isn't any of your business."

"Wesley, as your mother, I have to put my foot down about this situation. He's simply too old for you! It isn't appropriate for you to carry on."

"Too old for me?! I'm going to the academy soon. You can't do this!"

"As long as you still have a room in my quarters, I can," Beverly reached out toward her son. "Wes, please--"

"No! Mother, this is about your outdated views and your selfish desire for grandchildren, isn't it? I know it is!"

"It's not about that, I want what's best for you, Wesley, listen to me," her eyes glistened fresh with tears. It was true, a mother only wanted the best for her child, but, could it be that he was right in pointing out what he called her selfish desire? Deep within her heart, she knew the accusation had some merit, but she refused to believe she was being selfish, or that it was such a horrible desire to have.

"I won't, you can't keep me from him, I'm--"

"I've already spoken with him! Commander Riker has agreed to my wishes... he understands why I have a problem with this."

"Ugh, mom, I can't believe you!" Wesley screamed at her, dashing from the room, knowing only that he had to see Will. He had to find out if his mother had ruined the only thing more important to him than his studies and getting into Starfleet.

His heart throbbed in his chest as he stole down the ship's corridors. Starfleet officers and civilians alike sidestepped quickly, nearly bowled over while others pressed themselves to access panels as Wesley rushed past. Panting, he came upon the door he wanted, in fact he almost collided with it. Disbelief choked in his throat – Riker's door had been keyed to allow Wes access automatically.

He smashed a finger onto the button beside the door, horrible thoughts coursing through his head. There were footsteps; at least he could rest assured that the Commander wasn't going to avoid him. Finally the older man was at the door, and Wes slipped past him without so much as a greeting let alone permission. The door wooshed closed as Riker faced him.

"You changed the entrance key," Wes said, chest rising rapidly and falling with audible breaths. It was an accusation as much as a statement. The sting of full betrayal was beginning to wash over the boy.

"Have you spoken with your mother?" Riker cautiously advanced a step.

"Then it's true?! And you listened to her?" Wes fairly screamed, sweeping around the room in a wide circle, uncharacteristic body language indicating his threat to stomp around.

"First of all," Riker's voice became gruff, losing all pretext of calm caution, "treat my quarters with a little respect and act your age."

Wes flailed, though he curtailed his outburst. "But I'm not being treated my age."

"Actually, Beverly does have a point there--" Wes' jaw popped open as he heard those words, but he held his tongue, "even though you're the ship's prodigy and an acting ensign, you're technically still a kid." Could that have been almost regret in Riker's voice? Not that it made a difference.

A cold shudder went through Wes' body, he felt as good as dismissed. No matter how adult the other crew members treated him, it seemed, he would always be regarded as nothing more than an insignificant child. The pain was immeasurable, tainted with sharp anger, multiplied by the fact that such a feeling was directed toward the two people he had valued the most in his young life – his mother and the man he loved. The stress had his entire body rife with aches, he wanted to lie at the Commander's feet and sob, but he didn't. He maintained some semblance of composure as he stood in the middle of the room. "You said you fell in love with this kid."

Riker shook his head slightly, but even so still said, "I do love you, Wes."

It was like a warm bath after years of being exposed to bone-chilling cold, and Wes basked in them before the sensation was recklessly cast aside.

"But you're still your mom's responsibility, if she wants to regulate your relationships then she has that right."

Wes flopped himself onto the standard beige sectional, beginning to feel exhausted from the awful unfairness he saw in the world around him."You're both ruining my life," he moaned, burying his face in the smoothly upholstered arm.

Riker sat beside him, placing a tentative hand on the grey uniform that covered the boy's back.

It felt good, comforting, despite the desire to rail against Riker that Wes was holding at bay. The breakneck speed at which these emotional highs and lows were cycling was doing nothing to improve his attitude.

"You know that isn't true, we're not trying to ruin your life. She wants what's best for you."

As Riker echoed the words that had been hurled at Wes earlier by his mother, he wondered bitterly if all adults read from a script when crushing the dreams of the children around them.

"And it's hardly my place to interfere with how she wants to raise her son."

"I can't believe you're taking her side," Wes tried to hide his sniffling, but he was unable to hold back the tears indefinitely, "I thought I was important to you. We should matter more than my mom trying to parent the fun out of my life."

"Wes, I know you don't really think that's what she's doing. What happened to the rational young ensign I knew?"

"I'm the only one that is being rational about this! How can you say all these things, and agree with her, and still care about me?" Wes sat up and twisted to look at Riker, his eyes as swollen as they were red.

"I do care about you, and you'd know that if you could look objectively at this situation," Riker continued, squeezing the boy's shoulder. "You can see this isn't about my feelings at all, can't you?"

Wes nodded slowly, reluctantly, before his nose crumpled up as a prelude to another outburst. He reigned it in, but the words still tumbled from his lips. "It should be, though, you should have refused to listen to her, told her that what we have means something to you and that you're not willing to abandon it."

"This isn't Shakespeare or a fantasy game on the holodeck. Spouting romantic soliloquies does nothing in real life, not in this situation. It's more clear-cut than you realize. It's not like it's completely painless for me, either!" Riker began to bare a bit of his feelings, and Wes listened more attentively than before. "You're acting like you're the only one hurt over this, but we all are. Even your mother."

Wes scoffed. "She could have easily avoided it – if she really feels hurt at all – by minding her own business."

"Doing the right thing isn't always going to leave you feeling happy at the end. It can be hard, and it can make you feel miserable. Life aboard this ship should have taught you that much already. Don't discount her feelings, they're as real as yours and mine."

Riker may have had a point, but Wes wasn't about to openly concede it. He was still too hurt for reason, especially since he considered all this pain so unnecessary. It was just because his mom had to meddle, and not only that, but Riker's decision to go along with whatever she said instead of taking his side. It was as if he was ignoring what had blossomed between himself and Wes during the last year, pretending it didn't exist at all.

Wes wanted something to dull the pain of that revelation. "At least," he began softly, a fully formed pout on his lips, "at least you could hold me... for one last night." With those words, he launched himself at Riker, wrapping his arms around the Commander's powerful torso, pushing himself against the bodily warmth of the other man.

For his part, Riker said nothing, but continued to rub Wes' back. For one more night he could allow this, one last night to bid farewell to a love he hadn't had nearly enough time to know.


End file.
